A BookLikes Place for Paloma's Thoughts on Books.

The Overlord’s Challenge was beautifully tender and unabashedly rough at the same time. So many emotions dripped from these pages with characters who called out to the reader. Their motivations so intense, their world so treacherous, the intensity of this book couldn’t have been greater. Even in their earliest interactions, Elizabeth and Micah’s connection seems nearly magical – which is perfect for this magical world in which they live.

When first we witness Elizabeth spying on Micah in the river, such a beautifully erotic moment captures readers and connects us to Elizabeth with all her doubt and dreams. She’s sweet and full of hope, insecure in her own sexuality as a young woman but still certain of her own strength. So when she is then chosen to provide Micah Bleddyn, the Maelgwn Overlord, with an heir, I thought she’d be excited. Not so much because then we learn what it really means to be a woman in Maelgwn. Maelgwn is a male-dominated land where only the men are allowed to use magic, where women who have magical abilities are punished – in fact, when Elizabeth was young, her own mother was put to death for using magic. And now with her move to the keep to become the Overlord’s mate, Elizabeth knows it's just a matter of time before her own magic is revealed.

The plot is rock solid (there’s so much more to it than I shared in this quick review), the characters so well defined but it’s that emotional angst that held me captive. I wanted the best for Elizabeth and Micah; and plan to follow this series until I get to witness the changes they hope for their world come to fruition. I can’t wait for more.

For my full review, go to http://guiltyindulgencebookclub.blogspot.com.